TODAY'S QUESTION: What do you think about France's proposed ban on burqas?

The French Senate passed a bill Tuesday that bans Muslim women from wearing veils or burqas in public places.

The bill passed through the Senate in a 246-to-1 vote and now only needs to pass through France’s constitutional council in order to set into law.

According to NPR, under the current bill, any face-covering veils would be banned, including those worn by tourists. If women are seen wearing veils in public, they will be fined 150 euros, forced to take citizenship classes or both. If a husband is found forcing his wife to wear a veil, he will be fined 30,000 euros and a year in prison. If the woman being forced is a minor, then the fine and prison time will be doubled.

Politicians say the purpose of the bill is to uphold France’s secular background and to help promote women’s rights and gender equality.

I fear it will cause negative ramifications. If a woman chooses (or is willing) to wear a burka, that's something she's willing to do. Government regulations shouldn't be imposed except under specified circumstances. If someone wants to live in France, she (or he) should understand French culture. But, that doesn't mean a person's preference and religious beliefs should be outlawed.

The following article shows how well this clothing hides a person's identity in public.http://www.newsoxy.com/politics/french-b...From a safety and security standpoint, I think it's a great idea to ban clothing which can hide a person's identity.Even in Coolumbia, ball caps should not be worn inside banks, although this form of obscuring one's identity is rarely enforced. The same goes for "hoodies."I believe the kind of garb being banned in France came out of a belief system of "modesty" and protecting yourself in the desert. I say, keep it in the desert.I'd also have no problem with the USA addressing a ban on garb which obscures the identity of people. (Although I would support an exempted class for the very ugly. Sometimes, a paper bag can do wonders for one's appearance.)